Alpha State Cards in Practice: Experiences from an Agile Trainer
Из ленты: Ivar Jacobson International » Ivar Jacobson International
Having had the opportunity to incorporate the Alpha State Cards within some recent training classes I have been delighted to see the enthusiastic reaction they receive. The cards are great at bringing what can sometimes be complex and difficult concepts to life and making them of real practical value to people.
In each Agile training class I deliver now, I use the cards to support an exercise that challenges the groups to determine the current status of a sample software development project. In the discussions afterwards, the groups have consistently reported:
- They were really impressed on how the cards enabled more effective team communication and collaboration
- The cards demonstrated in both a tangible and visual way that significant progress was being made, as the Alpha State Cards made it quick and easy to cut through the “noise” to the heart of what mattered
- The whole experience showed how quick it was to come to a useful conclusion and each group found it an enjoyable way to work
When asked how the cards might support other team activities the feedback included the following:
- The cards offer a great set of objectives to assist with task identification, task planning and prioritization activities
- The states on the card provide a basis for simplifying governance objectives and evaluation criteria, as well as making the whole process leaner
- Revisiting the card abacus during iteration reviews to demonstrate iteration progress from a state perspective
- They recognize the ability for the cards to advance and retreat along the abacus, to reflect significant change impacting one or more Alphas
I get a lot of satisfaction from using the cards in these courses as they really act to break down the barriers early in the course by helping the attendees to relax and to build their confidence working collaboratively together. They also gain a sense of experiencing something not only new, but highly effective too, and something they can easily apply back on their own projects to add value and improve ways of working.
For me as a trainer and coach, the cards significantly contribute towards an enhanced learning experience, and in so doing, increase the knowledge retention for the key learning points. The bottom line is it’s best to use the cards in a group situation to truly appreciate their value.
The Alpha State Cards, games and further guidance is available here if you want to try them yourself.
Also there is now a Alpha State Card LinkedIn group which is a great place to share ideas & ask questions about using the cards.
